As alternative energy sources become more important to the economic and environmental well-being of society, solar energy use will continue to increase. It is becoming more common to see roofs and other structures having solar panels installed to generate electrical energy.
Many solar panel installations use mounting structures to clamp to the frame of the solar panels to be installed. Generally, retaining fasteners such as bolts are used to attach the panels to the mounting structures. Often it is difficult to accomplish this because it is necessary to have access to both sides of the fasteners and this is not always easy. It is known to use bolts that are pre-fastened but this can make installation can be difficult since all mounting holes must be precisely lined up.
There is a need for an easy to use solar panel mounting system that allows the installer to install from a top exposed side only without requiring precise locating preassembly.